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Drive shafts, also called propeller shafts, are a very important part of a vehicles engine system. They are essentially hollow tubes which connect the transmission output shaft to the differential pinion shaft. The vast majority of drive shafts are made from steel, including those for racing vehicles, motor homes, trucks, four-by-four vehicles and replacement parts. Different kinds of steel are used on various types of drive shafts.

OEM Steel Drive Shafts

OEM steel drive shafts are rated for less heavy-duty service than other types of steel drive shafts. Usually they can handle about 350 pounds per foot, or about 350 to 400 horsepower. This is the lowest performance level for steel drive shafts.

Dsaya Steel Drive Shafts

Dsaya steel drive shafts, stronger than OEM drive shafts, usually can handle about 1,300 pounds per square foot of pressure, which is comparable to about 1,000 to 1,300 horsepower. If your car does not require a lightweight unit, a Dsaya steel drive shaft is an excellent choice.

Chrome-Moly Steel Drive Shafts

Chrome-moly steel drive shafts are the strongest possible type of steel drive shaft. You will find this type of steel drive shaft in Pro Stock-style racing cars. Chrome-moly steel can be strengthened even further if it is heat-treated. Heat treatment will raise the torsional strength about 22 percent and raise the drive trains critical, or maximum, speed by about 19 percent.

CV Steel Drive Shafts

Constant-velocity (CV) steel drive shafts are so named because they revolve at the same speed during the entirety of their operation. One of the most common types of drive shaft, they come in several different subtypes, mostly characterized by the way in which the transmission output shaft and the differential pinion shaft connect.

Split Drive Steel Drive Shafts

Split drive steel drive shafts are two-piece drive shafts used on many vehicles with longer wheelbases. They are characterized by an extra U-joint and a center bearing which provides greater support to the shaft assemblys middle area.

Torque Tube Steel Drive Shafts

Torque tube steel drive shafts are used on cars with independent rear suspensions. This type of drive shaft is connected rigidly at both ends, with a rotating inner shaft.

Flexible Steel Drive Shafts

Flexible steel drive shafts are very rare and quite different than other steel drive shafts. They are not rigid shafts but are instead just large steel cables.

4340 forged steel is a heat-treatable, low iron-carbon alloy steel to which alloying elements have been added. It contains nickel, chromium and molybdenum. The purpose of adding the alloying elements is to improve the 4340 alloy steels properties in comparison to plain carbon steels.

Classification by Composition

AISI 4340 is a tough steel capable of high strength development when heat-treated while retaining good fatigue strength. The American Iron and Steel Institute-Society of Automotive Engineers (AISI/SAE) classification divides alloy steels into groups with the first number indicating the class, the second number indicating the percent concentration of the major element and the last two digits indicating the carbon concentration in 0.01 percent.

Forging 4340 Alloy Steel

Forged 4340 steel is considered a "through-hardened" steel when heat-treated to obtain high strength. Impression die forging, cold forging, open die forging and seamless rolled ring forging are forging processes used to make high strength parts.

Application and Usage

Forged 4340 steel is manufactured into parts for commercial and military aircraft and ground support systems, automotive systems, race cars, hydraulic tools and other machine tool applications. Heat-treated AISI 4340 exhibits a good combination of ductility and strength.